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Auralex Gramma Pad - Marvellous


wateroftyne
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[quote name='WalMan' post='1040493' date='Nov 28 2010, 09:42 PM']I have to admit the first time I used mine at a gig I took it out from under the rig in the break as the bass disappeared, but I persevered and made some level changes and wouldn't be without it now for the lack of boom particularly on high/boxy stages.

Whilst castors might help I would have thought a pad would still be better as in most instances the castor is still a more solid affair that will connect with a boomy stage where the pad creates the break - at least that's the way I understood the pads to work[/quote]

There is also the foam underneath the pad. Im sure that must do something that just using the 4 corners (casters) doesn't.
Ive always thought the foam stops the underneath becoming a bass trap and keeps the boom down. Not sure it works like that but its obviously there for a reason.

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[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1040791' date='Nov 29 2010, 09:11 AM']There is also the foam underneath the pad. Im sure that must do something that just using the 4 corners (casters) doesn't.
Ive always thought the foam stops the underneath becoming a bass trap and keeps the boom down. Not sure it works like that but its obviously there for a reason.[/quote]

Bass traps are generally at least 6" deep floor to ceiling devices filled entirely with medium high density rockwool. They are best situated in corners as that is where the bass is best dealt with (for a bunch of reasons I cant be bothered to go into here for once!). More often than not they are done these days as DIY Superchunks, whereby a triangle in the corner is entirely filled with material such that it is well over 6" deep at its deepest from floor to ceiling. This is all coverd with an acoustically nonabsorbant/nonreflective material (hessian, burlap, weed matting) to keep the fibres in place, but allow the audio energy into the device.

The little tiny bit of foam under the Gramma Pad is insufficient to do anything bass trap wise. Its no where near thick enough, so it wont stop bass.

These pads seem to me to work by efficiently decoupling the mechanical vibration through to the structure upon which the cab is sat. They have very little effect on the transfer of acoustic energy via the air, and thus the boundary effect.

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  • 7 months later...

Hi. :)

I am very close to getting one of these.

The previous posts date back some time - everyone who bought one still happy that they did?

I have booming/wolfing issues with several venues - tried different amp/set up, still does it and
to make it worse the bass drum mic picks up the boom and amplifies it!!!

Please can someone tip me over the edge, so I don't get the "it's the bass players fault" routine
again - I really like the thought of a consistant sound without a lot of fiddling.

Waits for deluge of replies. :)

Cheers. :lol:

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Easy one Eric - on any wooden / raised / boomy surface, the GrammaPad is worth every penny.

You get a much tighter, focused sound and virtually no boom.

Obviously not as effective on concrete, or tiles, or flagstones, but then ... it doesn't need to be.

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+2 to all the above. I use mine on every gig now, no matter what the surface is.

I cant say if it makes much difference on the harder surfaces but its worked wonders on the regular social club and Marquee stages we play on.

Saying that, it can only do so much and i still find stages that cant be tamed.

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The only practical down side is they won't slide. Make sure you are not going to move your stack after setting up. I had a couple of gigs where I set up and then the drummer insisted I move about 6 inches to one side or the other of where I was. If the stack had just been sat on the floor I could have nudged the whole lot but you risk damaging the upright edges of the pad if you try that with the pad in place so I ended up stripping the whole thing down to move 6 inches and then set up again. In the end I just used to wait until the drummer had set up first but he was frequently last to arrive so it got a bit annoying. They might slide if on a polished/shiny floor surface but on wood that has been covered by carpet it's not recommended with a fairly heavy stack on top.

Edited by KevB
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[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1299867' date='Jul 11 2011, 01:25 PM']Good call ... this is very true.[/quote]

For me this is a good thing as ive had my 1212L sliding around on smooth stages in the past, since i got my Gramma Pad it tends to stay put.

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Still got mine and use it on the rare occaision i get out of the practice room nowadays.
Wouldn't turn up to a gig without it tbh, i used to play some truly horrible wooden dancefloor-type stages which were a nightmare but all were sorted with the Gramma. Pretty goog going for a bit of wood, foam and carpet.

I have used a stand in the past which sapped floor coupling, the Gramma doesn't do this to my ears, just eliminates non-musical noises (apart from the ones i play!)

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Well, I went ahead. . . . . . :)

The small standard one was a whisker too small and the Great Gramma
was too big!! :lol:

So, I bought the PlatFoam from Studio Spares, had a piece of decent ply lying around,
also had some industrial matting stuff, so it was all systems go!


This is the result. :D





The total cost was £21.62 - foam/delivery/adhesive and took me about an hour to
build it.

Hoping it makes a vast improvement, I'll be using it live in a couple of weeks.

Fingers crossed - I'll let you know how I get on.

Smoke and mirrors, Snake Oil or a genuine improvement.

Cheers. :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey Peeps,

As I'm expanding my rig, I'm thinking about getting this Pad.

There's one thing - I'm gonna have TC RS112 cab, it's dimensions are:
Dimensions: W x H x D 35,6 x[b] 63,56 [/b]x 49,8cm

Gramma Pads:
[b]58.5cm[/b] x 38cm x 7cm...

.. Which means I need a GREAT Gramma to be able to put RS112 on it...? Or maybe I'd just stick with regular Gramma, and a few cm's won't make a vast difference?

Another thing is that I'm gonna put a Genz cab on top of RS112 and tilt-it up (Genz) - I don't know if there gonna be any 'interference' between the cabs, and having Auralex underneath RS cab?..

Anyone tried hooking a few cabs on top each other with Gramma underneath?

Laimis

Edited by Faithless
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My 2X10 cab that sits on the lower tier of my rig (TE 1X15 combo on top) has a footprint that is a little bigger than the regular pad and it still works OK. Most of my gigs are smallish pubs with small playing areas, a bigger pad would start getting in the way of the drum kit.

Edited by KevB
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  • 2 weeks later...

[quote name='FlatEric' post='1304861' date='Jul 15 2011, 04:36 PM']Well, I went ahead. . . . . . :)

The small standard one was a whisker too small and the Great Gramma
was too big!! :lol:

So, I bought the PlatFoam from Studio Spares, had a piece of decent ply lying around,
also had some industrial matting stuff, so it was all systems go!


This is the result. :lol:





The total cost was £21.62 - foam/delivery/adhesive and took me about an hour to
build it.

Hoping it makes a vast improvement, I'll be using it live in a couple of weeks.

Fingers crossed - I'll let you know how I get on.

Smoke and mirrors, Snake Oil or a genuine improvement.

Cheers. :lol:[/quote]


[b]BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/b] :P

Took my Acoustipad out on a gig last night - one of the places that I've had trouble with
before - one of the reasons I went ahead with it.

No Smoke and Mirrors and not a whiff of Snake Oil!!!!! :)

It works, simple as that!! :D

Several friends/players in the audience all commented on how good the whole thing sounded.

You can still feel a little coming back off the floor but nothing like before - no boomy resonance.
Tighter sound - held Ashdown 4 x 10 plus 2 x 10, with ease - No worries.

I'm a convert!

Anyone else unsure or dithering over a purchase, I can assure you I was well impressed last night.

Not that difficult to make, if you get the correct foam - or buy one off the shelf.

I think the price of the Great Gramma is a bit steep, considering that it isn't much bigger than the STD.
Not sure why that is????

Hey Ho, have a go yourself if £$£$£ are an issue.

Brilliant!

Cheers. :D

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[quote name='FlatEric' post='1304861' date='Jul 15 2011, 04:36 PM']Well, I went ahead. . . . . . :)

The small standard one was a whisker too small and the Great Gramma
was too big!! :lol:

So, I bought the PlatFoam from Studio Spares, had a piece of decent ply lying around,
also had some industrial matting stuff, so it was all systems go!


This is the result. :lol:





The total cost was £21.62 - foam/delivery/adhesive and took me about an hour to
build it.

Hoping it makes a vast improvement, I'll be using it live in a couple of weeks.

Fingers crossed - I'll let you know how I get on.

Smoke and mirrors, Snake Oil or a genuine improvement.

Cheers. :lol:[/quote]


[b]BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/b] :P

Took my Acoustipad out on a gig last night - one of the places that I've had trouble with
before - one of the reasons I went ahead with it.

No Smoke and Mirrors and not a whiff of Snake Oil!!!!! :)

It works, simple as that!! :D

Several friends/players in the audience all commented on how good the whole thing sounded.

You can still feel a little coming back off the floor but nothing like before - no boomy resonance.
Tighter sound - held Ashdown 4 x 10 plus 2 x 10, with ease - No worries.

I'm a convert!

Anyone else unsure or dithering over a purchase, I can assure you I was well impressed last night.

Not that difficult to make, if you get the correct foam - or buy one off the shelf.

I think the price of the Great Gramma is a bit steep, considering that it isn't much bigger than the STD.
Not sure why that is????

Hey Ho, have a go yourself if £$£$£ are an issue.

Brilliant!

Cheers. :D

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  • 2 weeks later...

Do you think that a Gramma Pad plus an extra strip of Platfoam under the front to add as a tilt would work? I only use a MarkBass combo and have been looking at a tilt. I like the idea of this Gramma pad but it does not raise the combo up much. Adding another strip of Platfoam under the front to tilt it would be ideal but would it take away some of the effect the gramma pad does?

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[quote name='Linus27' post='1344285' date='Aug 18 2011, 12:49 PM']Do you think that a Gramma Pad plus an extra strip of Platfoam under the front to add as a tilt would work? I only use a MarkBass combo and have been looking at a tilt. I like the idea of this Gramma pad but it does not raise the combo up much. Adding another strip of Platfoam under the front to tilt it would be ideal but would it take away some of the effect the gramma pad does?[/quote]

Yes, and I think it would add to the effect as it goes, more foam = even less vibration based coupling.

Should be a very cheap way to get your tilt on and improve on the already excellent GP.

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[quote name='51m0n' post='1344323' date='Aug 18 2011, 01:17 PM']Yes, and I think it would add to the effect as it goes, more foam = even less vibration based coupling.

Should be a very cheap way to get your tilt on and improve on the already excellent GP.[/quote]

Thanks Simon. I have now bought a Gramma pad :)

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